IAEA inspectors and Iranian technicians work at Natanz facility south of the capital Tehran [File: Kazem Ghane/IRNA via AP]
Tehran Times: Iran starts enriching uranium to 60% purity
TEHRAN — Abbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, announced in Vienna on Tuesday that Iran has sent a letter to the IAEA informing the body that the Islamic Republic intends to start enriching uranium to up to 60% purity.
Araghchi broke the story as he visited Vienna on Tuesday for nuclear deal talks with P4 + 1 group, which is set to start on Thursday.
Abbas Araghchi emphasized that another 1,000 centrifuges with 50% more capacity will be added to the existing machines in Natanz, in addition to replacing the damaged machines.
In a speech to the Assembly of Experts last year, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, stressed, “The Islamic Republic will not back down from its rational position on the nuclear issue, and according to the interests and needs of the country, it will go as far as 60% enrichment as needed.”
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WNU Editor: I am not sure if this week's indirect U.S. - Iran talks will be getting anywhere with this announcement.
More News On Iran Announcing That It Will Start Enriching Uranium To 60% Purity
Official: Iran to enrich uranium to 60%, highest level ever -- AP
Iran to begin 60% uranium enrichment after nuclear site incident -- Reuters
Iran to enrich uranium to 60 percent, highest level yet -- Al Jazeera
Iran Hits Back After Natanz Sabotage: 'We'll Start 60% Uranium Enrichment On Wednesday' -- Zero Hedge
11 comments:
For what need is 60% other than a weapons programme???
Solid victory for American diplomats. They will be shaking hands, giving speeches, alternately looking stern and affable. they will be engaged in in process, lots of process. process until the cows come home.
MC
FYI: Uranium enrichment terminology like low-enriched, highly-enriched, weapons grade etc., are arbitrary. Enrichment levels for nuclear power plants is usually less than 5%...while 90% is typically considered weapons grade. Uranium can be used in a bomb at enrichment levels well below 90%.
The Hiroshima bomb had an average enrichment of about 80% (meaning natural Uranium was processed from around 99.7% U238 and 0.3% U235 to a ratio of 20% U238 and 80% U235. This example was so simple that the method of detonation (gun-type Uranium bomb) was never even tested prior to the bombing.
Finally, enriching Uranium gets faster such that (approximating here) it takes the same amount of time to enrich of 0.3 to 20% as it does to get from 20% to 90%.
All this to say, there's no material redline with regards to an actual bomb. Depending on weapon design, and the total quantity of fissile material, the critical mass necessary for a bomb of some size / yield can vary considerably and Iran may be able to throw one together very quickly, as they've already done all the heavy lifting and have successfully mastered the most difficult technologies in the process. The rest is basic stuff for them at this point.
Anon 3:21 PM - there is no need civil need other than weapons / research related to weapons. Nuclear power needs only around 5%. Even with 5% Uranium used in a power plant, the spent nuclear fuel can be reprocessed...this is a method which collects as much Plutonium 239 as possible which has no civilian use and can be used as a potent fuel source for a nuclear weapon.
I mention reprocessing because monitoring is necessary even with legitimate uranium enrichment and use in a power plant (though reprocessing is really hard to hide).
Who is supplying iran all of these centrifuges ?
‘Iran tried to buy game-changing centrifuge parts’
"Large order of magnetic rings from China would greatly expand the country’s nuclear enrichment capacity, Washington Post reports"
www.timesofisrael.com/iran-tried-to-buy-game-changing-centrifuge-parts/
But remember Russia is a bigger threat per the Demoncraps (for the last 4 years).
What a wonderful world 🌍
Iran bought most of parts from Germany which really pissed off the US. Israel will not allow any Iran nukes. None. If they start buying refueling planes soon then we will know that Iran is pretty much doomed
Dave,
Why would they need them? As you say it would signal. Better to catch Obama and note taker Kamala flatfooted.
Israel already has 13 tankers with 2 on order. So ...
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